Scott and Franklin Counties have seen an influx of questions from clientele about starting/beginning farming. Agents do their best to answer the initial questions, however it seems like they can never give them enough information, or the client needs to talk to another entity or person. In the preprogram survey 70% of participants wanted to make a living farming, while an additional 50% what to be self-sufficient from their farm. However, nearly 40% of them where brand new to farming.

In response to this Scott and Franklin County ANR agents developed a program to meet the realistic needs of their audience. Getting Started, a Farming Series was constructed to target any type of producer. It aims to provide relative and pertinent information that all producers should think about in the beginning stages of their operation. At every session clientele eat dinner together in a family style format. This allows people to learn from each other, compare experiences, and makes people more prone to ask questions during the talks. Topics covered during the first 2 sessions include Farm Service Agency programs, Dr. Steve Isaacs PRIMER publication, Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development programs,  Natural Resources Conservation Service programs, and Clint Quarles on agriculture law. 

In total 15 people participated in this program. Participants found the program very education and resourceful. They appreciated the take home material that they received from both Extension and other entities. This event would not have been possible with the corporation of the Farm Service Agency, Natural resources Conservation Services, Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Develop, Central Kentucky Ag Credit, and Central Kentucky Farm Credit. Scott and Franklin County agents had good initial feedback. Many participants made comments about taking this information back to their operations. 100% of attendees said that they learned something new at both sessions of the program. The program will continue this fall in collaboration with the KSU Land Grant Program.